Abstract
The seropositivities for infection byAscaris lumbricoides andToxocara canis were determined in children (1–15 years old) of a slum area of Caracas, Venezuela, and the levels that indicate the presence of active infection were defined. In children aged from 1 to 3 years, approximately 10% were positive for either parasite, and this figure increased to about 30% in 4- to 6-year-olds. For toxocariasis, the percentage of positivity remained at this level up to the age of 15 years. Whilst the positivity in children 10–15 years of age was comparable forAscaris andToxocara, a peak of positivity (50%) was found forAscaris at 7–9 years of age. These results indicate that for these urban slum children, infection byToxocara is essentially as common as that byAscaris and, thus, that toxocariasis represents a potential public health problem in the tropical environment that is largely overlooked.
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Lynch, N.R., Hagel, I., Vargas, V. et al. Comparable seropositivity for ascariasis and toxocariasis in tropical slum children. Parasitol Res 79, 547–550 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00932238
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00932238